MORE FUNDING TO BOOST RURAL CONNECTIVITY ANNOUNCED

1. Title: MORE FUNDING TO BOOST RURAL CONNECTIVITY ANNOUNCED2. Awarding Authority: The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), GB. Web: 3. Contract type: Service contract4. Description: More funding is now available to help homes and businesses in rural areas of specified location get access to much faster and more reliable internet connections.The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) – working with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) – have today (14 September) announced top-up vouchers are available to subsidise the costs of bringing gigabit broadband to rural areas suffering with slow speeds.As part of the recently-announced Getting Building Fund, up to £1m of additional Government funding will ‘top up’ the vouchers available from the Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), meaning even more money is available to improve digital connectivity and boost the regional economy.The GBVS currently provides up to £3,500 funding for eligible businesses and up to £1,500 for eligible residential properties to install gigabit-capable connections.The £1m made available will be used to increase the level of funding available under the GBVS, so that all eligible properties, both businesses and residential, can now apply for up to a maximum of £7,000.Gigabit broadband is capable of download speeds of 1 gigabit (1000 megabits) per second.Businesses and residents in Oxfordshire are eligible to receive these contributions towards gigabit-capable connections if they are based in rural locations that are unlikely to benefit from commercial broadband rollout, are not in any existing government-funded plans for a broadband upgrade, available services are currently less than 100Mbps, and they apply as part of a group project (two or more residents or businesses).Residents and businesses can visit the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme website to find a list of suppliers. Once residents or businesses have made contact with a supplier, they do not need to do anything further and the supplier will apply for the relevant level of funding required to support each project.5. CPV Code(s): 79400000, 790000006. NUTS code(s): UKJ, UKJ1, UKJ147. Main site or location of works, main place of delivery or main place of performance: Oxfordshire8. Reference attributed by awarding authority: Not provided.9. Estimated value of requirement: The GBVS currently provides up to £3,500 funding for eligible businesses and up to £1,500 for eligible residential properties to install gigabit-capable connections.10. Applications for the topped up broadband vouchers are open with a deadline to apply by 31.3.2021.11. Address to which they must be sent: For further information and instructions in the above contract notice please visit website: 12. Other information: # funding opportunity